Waterford City and County Council and Fáilte Ireland are proud to present Samhain Festival in Waterford, a fabulously ghoulish celebration of Ireland’s ancient Halloween tradition in Waterford city and Dungarvan.
With a host of events taking place from Friday, October 27th to Tuesday, October 31st, Waterford will celebrate the folklore, magic and myth of Samhain.
On Friday, October 27th award winning spectacle-producers and street entertainment group, Spraoi, presents Scáthanna (Shadows), a stunning procession, that will weave through a tree-lined route of the People’s Park at 8pm.
Dress up and join the spooky spectacle as Spraoi recreates the magical mystery of Samhain with fantastical floats and scary special effects. This night-time economy initiative is in partnership with Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts Gaeltacht, Sport & Media.
On Saturday, October 28th, dress up again as your favourite Halloween character and hang out with two of Waterford’s hottest bands in John Roberts Square. Storming the stage at 4.30pm will be Aliens in Caves followed by Lithium Lounge at 6.30pm. Unleash your inner Harley Quinn or Lord Voldemort with prizes for best children’s and adults’ costumes.
Waterford City is the place to be on Rugby World Cup Final Night, and the Rugby World Cup 2023 Final will be screened live on the big screen in the city centre, with pre-match fanzones providing live music and entertainment ahead of the 8pm kick off.
On Sunday, October 29th the Samhain Sessions present a series of cool live jazz gigs and mellow DJ sets inside and outside various hostelries from 12 noon – why not pair it with a festive blood-curdling brunch?
Deep in Dungarvan the Samhain celebrations continue in the Grattan Square. With prizes for the best child and adult Halloween costumes, the festivities continue into the evening with live music from Lithium Lounge at 4.30pm followed by Aliens in Caves at 6.30pm.
On Tuesday, October 31st, Creative Waterford and Waterford Community Safety Partnership have joined forces to present a thrilling kaleidoscope of mythical music, dance, entertainment with The Hill @ Halloween. Join in the fun on Ballybricken Green, one of the oldest and most historic parts of Waterford city for a truly unique, immersive Samhain experience.
Kieran Kehoe, Director of Services with Waterford City and County Council said, “we’re really looking forward to bringing the inaugural Samhain celebration to Waterford city and county. Waterford City and County Council is delighted to collaborate with Spraoi, Creative Waterford and Fáilte Ireland to create an other-worldly programme of events that encompass folklore, tradition, music, magic and myth. We’ve also thrown the Rugby World Cup Final into the mix and with support from local hostelries, there will be live entertainment in the designated fan zones. We’re confident the atmosphere will be as electric as the one in Stade de France!”
Source: Waterford City & County Council
